A SPOKE IN THE WHEEL. 77

nobody respected more than he did, he must still be
allowed to pursue his own course.

The clergyman used his strongest arguments; he
knew nothing as yet of Williams’s affairs, or he
would have had a famous argument in his hand; but
still Mr. Osborne adhered to the very last to his own
opinions—perhaps even went a little beyond them in
opposition to what seemed the ultra opinions of the
other.

All this went on in the parlour, and Mr. Isaacs
and a customer, who was of the clergyman’s way of
thinking, discussed the subject in the shop, whilst
Reynolds went on with his weighing and labelling
and pill-making, and thinking that they were right,
every word they said. He did believe all players,
men, women, and children, to be a wicked, low,
dissolute, unprincipled set of peopl and it was not
his intention ever to go near them again.

Next morning, before church, came Miss Joanna
Kendrick to beg that her nephew might go to
church. She was warmer even than the clergyman
had been, and really censured Mr. Osborne for letting
his young men go to the play-house. If she had
been asked, she said, she should have prevented it,
at least as far as her nephew was concerned. Mr.
Osborne could do just as he liked with regard to the
other.

Mr. Osborne felt quite vexed—for the first time in
his life vexed with Miss Kendrick. He repeated to
her what he had said to the clergyman about his
forty years experience in business and the manage-
ment of apprentices ; but it was quite in another tone
of voice, and Miss Kendrick was hurt. She replied
warmly, and so did he; and really these two excel-

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